The bird and the bat
by Snowayta
Summary: First they started up as annoyance to each other, yet as the days passed and their bond together grew they started to get drawn to each other until on one day their whole lives got turned upside down.
1. Was I too slow?

P.S. : The version of Damian Wayne used in the story is an older version of the character, basically this takes place years after Damian was supposed to be killed.

'' How did you even come up with an idea like this!? Seriously! Out of all possible options you pair me up with her!''  
Damian protested loudly to his father as he pointed a finger towards Barbara, who, at her turn only gave an annoyed look at the kid standing in front of her.  
'' How pathetic..one thing is for sure, I'm not going to babysit this kid, if he dies than that's just bad luck, so you better stay out my way''

A slight smile covered Barbara her lips as she thought back to her first meeting with this person, her eyes moved away from the building they were looking at and instead moved to the man next to her.  
'' What're you smiling for?'' Damian responded without averting his eyes from the building.  
It was clear how much he had grown up since their first meeting, both in age and personality, yet sometimes she disliked him the way he was now, so cold and distant, where he used to be stubborn and arrogant he still cared greatly for his comrades and that was visible from time to time.  
'' Just remembering the past, nothing else...'' Barbara replied softly as her eyes moved back to the building again.  
'' There is no use looking at the past. We can't change the things that have happened, it is the future we can change...'' Damian answered coldly as he suddenly got up from his seated position, '' Found him''  
He leaped off the building and easily crashed through the window of the building located on the other side of the street, even before Barbara could arrive at well he had already dealt with the armed thugs in the apartment.  
'' You're getting slow, could be fatal in battle'' Damian responded coldly as his glaring eyes moved towards Barbara.  
'' Like you would care about that'' Barbara mumbled, expecting him not to hear what she said, yet he did loud and clear, the cold look in his eyes made place for something else but his intensive training quickly got him over it.

'' So what information do we have about Joker's location?'' Bruce asked when all of the members had returned to the Bat-cave.  
'' The coward has hid himself inside the city, we're still unaware to pinpoint his exact location, don't worry father, I'll find him for sure, let's go Barbara''  
Before either Bruce or Barbara could object he had already left, Barbara quickly hurried after him.  
'' So how are we going to find him? Do you have anything you didn't tell your father about?''  
Barbara asked Damian with a slightly worried look on her face.  
'' We? We aren't going to find him'' Damian stopped walking and turned towards Barbara as he narrowed his eyes, '' I don't need your help, if you can't keep up with me you're just dead weight to me, now leave''  
'' But Damian, we-..''  
'' LEAVE! , I don't need any help of a girl!'' Damian suddenly shouted out to Barbara her surprise, a strange mix of disappointment and anger rushed through her veins.  
She clenched her fists as she looked at Damian who walked away from her.

For days there was no form communication between Damian and any of the others, Barbara had slowly started to become nervous after the sixth day of unknowingness.  
Bruce had gathered all of the others to the Bat-cave to set out a rescue team after he had worrying video tape from the Joker.  
It showed Damian heavily beaten up while Joker's maniacally laughed as he placed a bomb on the person's lap.  
Barbara most of all was shocked by it, it was her fault that he was in this position right now, if she had just acted on that moment things would have gone differently.  
'' What is his location?'' Her eyes rapidly moved over the video trying to find any clues and when she did so she rushed off to the place.  
Yet seconds before she could enter the building it exploded, her eyes widened and she dropped down on her knees, seeing the building go up in flames.  
'' Nooooo!''  
Tears quickly started to flow down her cheeks as the ashes of the burning building started to fall down around her, she had lost all strength in her body.  
Frozen in fear and anger, she was angry, she hated herself, if she had just been a few seconds earlier, if she had just been faster!


	2. Revenge

Months had passed since the dead of Damian, since his body couldn't be recovered from the burning flames they buried an empty casket.  
Barbara visited the grave every day, bringing fresh flowers with her as she just stood there, apologizing, every day.  
Even though she was still greatly saddened by his death she couldn't sit still, every night she trained herself, to be faster, to be stronger than she had ever been, she'd make sure to repay the Joker for what he had done.  
Sadly for her the worm never showed his face in Gotham anymore since that night, Bruce had already told her to give up her quest for revenge but she was determined to take him down.

She had slowly started to give up the hope of ever finding him until Nightwing informed her over a recent sighting of the clown.  
After several days of searching for him she managed to take down one of his henchmen.  
In one of the several dark alleys she cornered the henchman, she grabbed a lead pipe from the ground as she approached the guy.  
'' Where's the Joker..?''  
Barbara asked softly as she approached the man who was laying in the corner, she had easily taken him down during a short fist fight, crushing several of his ribs and his nose.  
As she stood in front of him she pressed the lead pipe against his chest, '' Tell me..''  
'' I don't know! Really! I have no idea where he is, please let me go!''  
'' Wrong answer...'' She took a tighter hold of the lead pipe and in a swift strike she struck the man's shoulder, who screamed into pain while trying to crawl away from the corner he was stuck in.  
'' Tell me.. Where is he!'' The lead pipe struck down on his back, the cracking bones in his back were easily heard throughout the alley.  
'' I really don't know! Please!'' The man screamed out in pain, yet she only continued to beat him with the pipe, eventually leaving him in a puddle of blood.

Her night continued like this and after a few weeks she had finally found the Joker's location, she'd make short work of him tonight.  
She had reached the building in which the clown had hidden himself, crashing through the roof and taking down the first two henchman before anyone could react to it.  
Her eyes immediately shot towards the Joker, with ease taking down the henchman that came running at her.  
'' Well, how amusing it is that things can turn around so easily eh?'' She spoke sarcastically as she approached the Joker, who only stood there, laughing manically.  
'' Oh, this must be my lucky year! Taking down two of you Bat-freaks in one year! oh joy ''  
He reached for the gun that was hanging on his side and aimed it at her , '' Or perhaps I should cripple you once again, gives me a lot more fun than killing you immediately..''  
Before he could fire his gun at her, she had already reached him, hitting him down on the ground.  
She took the gun from the ground and aimed it at him, '' Perhaps yes, we'll see how much fun that is..''

When the Joker tried to get up she shot him in both his legs, dropping him back down in a mixture of screaming and laughing.  
After she had shot him she threw away the gun, her eyes moved through the place in search for something to hurt him with even more.  
She found one of his signature crowbars, her lips turned into a small smile as she took hold of the weapon.  
'' Was this it..? Was this the one you beat him with!?''  
After taking the crowbar from the table she walked back towards the crawling Joker again, kicking him in his side so that he would roll over to his back.  
Before he could say anything to her she hit him in the stomach with all her strength, '' I should just kill you, I should just kill you now! You pathetic excuse for a living being!''  
His laughing only angered her more, after the next few strikes of the crowbar his laughing had become a bit less, the blood around him quickly increased.  
As she readied herself for one last strike on his face someone took hold off the crowbar, leaving her unable to deal the ending strike.  
She quickly turned around as her eyes slightly widened, tears appeared into her eyes, '' He deserves it! Don't keep me back!''


End file.
